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The Raleigh Water Inspection group inspects and issues Letters of Acceptance for water and wastewater infrastructure installed on development projects in our Merger Towns. Merger Towns include Garner, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Wendell, and Zebulon. Acceptance is issued after installation, testing and inspections are complete and all required supporting documentation has been received. Accepted infrastructure is subject to a one-year operational warranty from the date of final acceptance.
Merger Town inspection and acceptance requirements are detailed in the Public Utilities / Raleigh Water Handbook and Standard Details and outlined in our Merger Town Utility Acceptance Checklist. Coordination with a Merger Town Utility Inspector will be necessary to schedule inspections and confirm utility acceptance requirements are satisfied. Merger Town inspection requests can be scheduled online using the Merger Town Inspection Request.
Please Note: The City of Raleigh maintains two separate infrastructure inspection groups for private development; one for infrastructure inside the City of Raleigh and one for outside the City of Raleigh (in Merger Towns). The City of Raleigh Transportation Infrastructure Inspection group manages the inspection and acceptance of water, wastewater, storm, roadway, and sidewalk infrastructure inside Raleigh. Please see Raleigh Infrastructure Inspections for these services.
The Merger Town group is organized within Raleigh Water and manages the water and wastewater infrastructure inspections in Garner, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Wendell, and Zebulon. Within the Merger Towns, acceptance of storm, roadway and sidewalk infrastructure is managed by Merger Town staff and/or Wake County staff.
Pre-Construction Meeting
A utility preconstruction meeting is the first step for coordinating inspection services. Preconstruction meetings can be scheduled online using the Merger Town Inspection Request. A copy of the Raleigh Water approved utility construction plans will be required before inspection services can begin on a project.
Utility Construction Inspections
Regular inspections are required during the construction of the water and wastewater infrastructure. Inspections may include observation of main line pipe, fitting, valve, thrust restraint, line tapping, service line, meter and backflow device installs, bore and jack activities, observation of utility crossings/conflicts, line testing/sampling and additional items as outlined in the Public Utilities Handbook. Inspections require regular coordination with a Raleigh Water Merger Town Utility Inspector. Inspections can be scheduled online using the Merger Town Inspection Request.
Project Completion and Final Walkthrough
After the infrastructure is installed, inspected, and tested a site walkthrough inspection will be performed to confirm all construction requirements have been satisfied. A copy of as-build record drawings for the project is required for the walkthrough inspection. Inspections can be scheduled online using the Raleigh Water Inspection Request.
During the walkthrough inspection a “punch list” of defective items will be generated. Subsequent walkthrough inspections will be performed as needed until repairs have been completed.
On completion of the walkthrough inspection(s) an internal CCTV camera inspection of the wastewater system will be conducted. The Utility Contractor is responsible for ensuring that pipelines are free from debris, plugs, and other defects prior to the CCTV inspection.
Notes on Project Phasing: Acceptance occurs after water and sewer infrastructure in an approved phase is installed, inspected/tested and the required supporting documentation has been received. Phases of construction must extend from and/or connect to existing (or concurrently accepted) infrastructure to be considered for acceptance. Acceptance boundaries are defined by the limits identified in the Raleigh Water approved utility phasing plan(s). Acceptance of unapproved sub-phases and/or partially complete phases will not be considered. Additional information can be found in the Raleigh Water Handbook at www.raleighnc.gov.
Project Acceptance and Documentation Requirements
Once the project is completed, the developer or his representative shall submit the following items to the Raleigh Water Department. Documentation should be submitted to the Merger Town Utility Inspector.
- A professional engineer's certified statement of the cost of the public utilities installed.
- A professional engineer’s certified statement indicating that the work has been built in accordance with the City approved set of construction plans.
- A Release of Liens document signed and notarized from the developer stating that all materials and workmanship associated with the water, reuse water, or sewer mains have been paid in full.
- Certified surveyed "As-Built" plans and profile shall be furnished by the certifying engineer.
- The developer is responsible for ensuring a one-year written operational warranty to the City prior to issuance of the Letter of Acceptance
- The developer and/or engineer shall provide a recorded map to the City of Raleigh showing all public rights-of-way and easements and,
- The engineer shall keep a preserved copy of the “As-Built” plans on file indefinitely.
A conditional letter of acceptance is issued on completion of the construction and receipt of the acceptance documentation. Conditional Acceptance confirms that Raleigh Water has completed field inspections, and the infrastructure is available for use. Final Letters of Acceptance are provided on successful completion of the conditional review.
Note: Water and wastewater acceptance will impact platting and building permit approvals in the Merger Towns. Conditional Acceptance is required for continued permit approvals. Utility billing account setup and water meter installations cannot occur prior to conditional acceptance.